The following is a part taken from the Introduction of Stories and Miracles of Our Lady of Good Success by Marian T. Horvat, Ph.D. This is Book II of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Good Success to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres that contain prophecies for our time, especially regarding the crisis of Faith in the Church in the "second half of the 20th Century.

It is a great consolation for me to write about Our Lady of Good Success. I have loved her since I first learned of this invocation. I read whatever I could find about the apparitions and Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres, and made two pilgrimages to Ecuador to see the miraculous statue of Our Lady of Good Success. It is really impossible to describe the majesty, maternal goodness, and celestial intimacy that permeate the presence of the sacred statue. Even the best pictures do not transmit the supernatural presence and beauty that one experiences at the feet of Our Lady there.

I made a promise to divulge what I could about this devotion before the end of the 20th century, since Our Lady explicitly said that she would become known under this invocation at this time. It was only in 1999 that the opportunity came for me to publish a short book, Our Lady of Good Success - Prophecies for Our Times.Now, in 2002, I return to the same subject.

In the first book, I presented a summary of the main facts related to this blessed invocation. I had, however, to choose among the many "successes" that pertain to the stories of the miraculous statue and the life of Madre Mariana de Jesus Torres. I chose to concentrate on the major prophecies of Our Lady of Good Success that refer to our difficult times. There were many details that I could not include in the short work, but I had the hope of reporting them at some later time, when Our Lady would indicate the right moment to do so.

The good reception of the first book, the spontaneous reaction of many readers asking for more details, and the encouragement of some close friends led me to write this second one. In it I deal with details surrounding the making of the statue, as well as relate several stories and miracles that took place during the life of Mother Mariana.

There are still many other stories to relate from the life of Mother Mariana, based on the Spanish documents I translated, in particular, the 1790 work of Friar Manuel Souza Pereira (1), who died in the odor of sanctity. [This 2-volume work is now available in English.]

Here let me remind the reader of some points from the first book.

Venerable Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres was a Conceptionist religious who traveled from Spain to the Royal Colony of Quito, Ecuador in 1576 to play a providential role for Quito and the world. During her lifetime, by means of numerous revelations, she was given to see and know many important events of the future.

The main revelation she received regarded the great crisis that would afflict the Church throughout the 20th century, and especially the last half. Our Lady of Good Success told her that in our lamentable times, heresies would abound, the corruption of manners and customs would be almost complete, religious vocations would decline, and the light of the Faith nearly extinguished. To atone for the many profanities, blasphemies, and abuses and to hasten the day of the triumphant restoration, this 17th century religious was asked to become an expiatory victim for our times. Thus, in a special way, the vocation of Mother Mariana links her to us and to our days.

Our Lady instructed her to have a life-size statue made

Our Lady of Good Success, like Our Lady of Fatima, foresaw not only a terrible crisis, but also a great restoration of the Catholic Church and Christendom. These were her words to Mother Mariana:

"To be delivered from the slavery of these heresies [of the 20th century], those whom the merciful love of my Son has destined for this restoration will need great will power, perseverance, courage, and confidence in God. To try the faith and trust of these just ones, there will be times when all will seem lost and paralyzed. This will be the happy beginning of the complete restoration."

The devotion of Our Lady of Good Success in Quito was born in 1610. In the first apparition, Our Lady instructed Mother Mariana to have a life-size statue of her made under the invocation of Our Lady of Good Success.

She told her to make it exactly as she appeared to her, with the crosier and keys to the cloister in her right hand, and her Divine Child on her left arm. This would be "so that men will understand how powerful I am in placating the Divine Justice and in obtaining mercy and pardon for every sinner who comes to me with a contrite heart, for I am the Mother of Mercy and in me there is only goodness and love. Let them come to me, for I will lead them to Him." The statue, made by a sculptor in Quito, was miraculously completed by the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael in the early morning of January 16, 1611.

The apparitions of Our Lady of Good Success have received diocesan approval since their origins in the early 17th century. At the command of her superiors, Mother Mariana left a full account of her life, which was approved by the Most Rev. Pedro de Oviedo, Quito's tenth Bishop, who personally knew and directed the holy Conceptionist religious.

The statue continues to be venerated in the Conceptionist Convent in Quito today with full diocesan approval. Three times a year (2), it leaves the Abbess' seat and is displayed for public veneration, which continues to grow. For Our Lady herself told Mother Mariana that the story of the statue's origin and Mother Mariana's life would become known at end of 20th century, and she is keeping her word. I hope this brief summary will help the reader understand what he will read in Book Two: Stories and Miracles of Our Lady of Good Success.

1. The Admirable Life of Mother Mariana , English translation by Marian T. Horvat, Copyright 1999, Volume 1 published by TIA, Inc. in 2005, Volume 2 published in 2006
2. The statue is placed on the altar of the Church for public veneration for nine days before and after the Feast day of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, February 2, and during the months of May and October.